Combe brianus ( White, 1858 )

Xie, Guanglin, Barclay, Maxwell V. L. & Wang, Wenkai, 2024, Taxonomic notes on the collection of the tribe Lamiini (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) housed in the Natural History Museum, London, ZooKeys 1205, pp. 239-251 : 239-251

Combe brianus ( White, 1858)

Figs 1 , 2 , 3

Monohammus brianus White, 1858: 409. Type locality: Nepal.

Combe Fulgurata [sic] Thomson, 1864: 83. Type locality: unspecified.

Combe Brianus [sic]: Pascoe 1866: 244; Lacordaire 1869: 344; Gemminger and Harold 1873: 3028; Aurivillius 1921: 119.

Combe brianus : Breuning 1961: 347; Weigel 2006: 502; Barševskis 2018: 288 , 2020: 178 .

Combe brianus m. rufoantennatus Breuning, 1954: 7; 1961: 347. Type locality: Sumatra, Indonesia. Unavailable name.

Mimomyagrus pfanneri Breuning, 1970: 88. Type locality: Cameron highlands, Malaysia. Syn. nov.

Type material examined.

Holotype of Monohammus brianus White, 1858 , female: ‘ Type [p, label circular, red frame]; Brianus / n. o [h]; Mon. Brianus White / Nepal [h]; NHMUK 013460997 [p] ’ ; holotype of Combe fulgurata Thomson, 1864 , female: ‘ HOLOTYPE [p, label rectangular, red]; Th. / TYPE [p, black frame]; Ex. Musaeo / JAMES THOMSON [p, black frame]; Ch. J. Gahan / vidit 1895. [p] ; Combe / Brianus White / comp. with type / C. J. G. [h]; Brianus / White / Fulguratus / Type Thoms. / Malas. [h, label rectangular, red frame]; Muséum Paris / 1952 / coll. R. Oberthür [p] ; HOLOTYPE / Combe / fulgurata Thomson, 1864 [p]; MNHN, Paris / EC 23123 [p] ’ ; holotype of Combe brianus m. rufoantennatus Breuning, 1954, female: ‘ Holotype [p, label rectangular, red, black frame]; Solok / Sumatra / EX COLL. F. SCHNEIDER [p, black frame]; Coll. R. I. Sc. N. B. / Sumatra [p]; S. Breuning det., 195 [p] 4 [h] / Combe / brianus / rufoantennatus / mihi Typ [h]; L: Bull. Inst. r. sci. Nat. Belg. 1954, 30, 11: F. [h] ’ ; holotype of Mimomyagrus pfanneri Breuning, 1970 , female: ‘ TYPE [p, label rectangular, red]; Rég. Orientale / Malaisie [h] / Chassot [p] 7. 1968 [h]; GBIFCH / 00338292 [p] ’ ; paratype of Mimomyagrus pfanneri Breuning, 1970 , female: ‘ Para- / type [p, label circular, yellow frame] ; PARATYPE [p, label rectangular, red]; Brit. Mus. / 19 [p] 77–313 [h]; Malaysia [p] / Cameron / h’lds iv / 74 [h] / Coll. Pfanner [p]; Mimomyagrus pfanneri Breuning [h] ’ .

Non-type material examined.

Thirteen specimens (5 males, 8 females) identified as ‘ Combe brianus ’ in NHMUK: Malaysia: 1 male: ‘ MALAY PENIN: / Selangor. / Bukit Kutu / 3500 [h] ft. / 14. 3. [h] 1931 [1 with handwriting] / H. M. Pendlebury. [p]; Ex Coll: / F. M. S. / Museum. [p, reverse side]; Ex F. M. S. Museum. B. M. 1955–354 [p, reverse side ]] / NHMUK 013461006 [p] ’ ; 1 male: ‘ Mal. / P. [h]; Pascoe / Coll. / 93–60 [p]; Combe / brianus / White [h, reverse side]; NHMUK 013460999 [p] ’ ; 1 male: ‘ Penang [h, label circle]; Bowring. / 63. 47 * [p] / Combe / brianus, White [h]; NHMUK 013461002 ’ ; 1 male: ‘ MALAY PENIN. / Kedah Perak. / 1000–2000 [h] ft. / 19 # March, 1928. [p]; Ex F. M. S. / Museum. / B. M. 1955–354 [p]; NHMUK 013461004 [p] ’ ; 1 male: ‘ MALAY PENIN [p] / Perak, F. M. S. / Maxwell Hill 3000 / June – July 1916 [h]; 332 [h]; Ex F. M. S. / Museum. / B. M. 1955–354. [p]; NHMUK 013387052 [p] ’ ; 1 female: ‘ Rantau Panjang / Selangor. / H. C. Robinson. [p] / (12. 16 / V / 04) [h] / 1904–327. [p]; (4 / 1107) [p]; NHMUK 013387035 [p] ’ ; 1 female: ‘ Malay / Penang [p]; Fry Coll. / 1905. 100. [p]; 17783 [h]; NHMUK 013460998 [p] ’ ; 1 female: ‘ MALAY PENIN: [p] / Penang F. M. S. / Maxwell Hill 3000 / June – July 1916 [h]; 331 [h]; Ex F. M. S. / Museum. / B. M. 1955–354. [p]; Combe / Brianus, White / 2 [h]; NHMUK 013387050 [p] ’ ; 1 female: ‘ Malay Penin / Panang, F. M. S. [p] j, / Gap / 2900 / May 1915 [h] 193 [p] 2 [h]; Ex F. M. S. / Museum. / B. M. 1955–354 [p]; NHMUK 013461000 [p] ’ ; 1 female: ‘ Malay / Penang [p]; Data unreliable / See Brit. Mus. / 1949–314. [p, label yellow]; Combe / brianus [h]; NHMUK 013461003 [p] ’ ; 1 female: ‘ Malay / Penang / Batu Feringgi / catchment area [p] / 25 Aug 1963 [h] / H. T. Pagden; Pres by / Com Inst Ent / B. M. 1964-2 [p]; 119 [p]; Combe / brianus White [h] / E. A. J. Duffy det. 1964 [p]; NHMUK 013461001 [p] ’ ; 1 female: ‘ MALAYA / Kuala Lumpur [p] / Ampang Village [h] / Feb. 26 th [h] 19 [p] 35 [h]; Ex F. M. S. / Museum. / B. M. 1955–354 [p]; NHMUK 013387047 [p] ’ ; 1 female: ‘ MALAY PENIN: / Selangor. / Bukit Kutu / 3300–3500 [h] ft. / 14. 3. [h] 1931. / H. M. Pendlebury. [p]; Ex Coll: / F. M. S. / Museum. [p, reverse side]; Ex F. M. S. Museum. M. 1955–354 [p, reverse side]; NHMUK 013461005 [p] ’ .

Two specimens (1 male, 1 female) identified as ‘ Mimomyagrus pfanneri Breuning, 1970 ’ in NHMUK: Malaysia: 1 male (Fig. 1 a – e ): ‘ Malaysia [p] / 9. 2. 74 [h] / Coll. Pfanner [p]; NHMUK 014596798 [p] ’ ; 1 female (Fig. 1 f – j ): ‘ Malaysia / Cameron Highlands / 1400 m 17 iv 73 / via coll. P. Pfanner [h]; Mimomyagrus pfanneri / (Breuning) / Cameron Highlands / (Malaysia 1400 m / 17 / 4 / 1973) [p]; Brit. Mus. / 1978.72 [p]; NHMUK 014596799 [p] ’.

Comments.

White (1858) described Monohammus brianus (Fig. 2 a – d ) based on a female specimen without head from Nepal. Thomson (1864) established the genus Combe for Combe fulgurata (Fig. 2 e – i ) based on a female specimen without indicating locality. Pascoe (1866) transferred Monohammus brianus to the genus.

Combe and synonymized Combe fulgurata with it based on the male and female specimens from Malacca, Malaysia. Breuning (1954) described a morph, Combe brianus m. rufoantennatus (Fig. 3 f – j ), based on a specimen of reddish-brown colour from Sumatra. Subsequently, Breuning (1970) described Mimomyagrus pfanneri based on specimens from Cameron Highlands, Malaysia. Through studying these series of type and non-type specimens, we found that, in fact, they belong to the same species. Thus, here we propose the species Mimomyagrus pfanneri as a junior synonym of Combe brianus .

Since Mimomyagrus pfanneri is the type species of Mimomyagrus , this genus becomes a junior synonym of the genus Combe .

Breuning (1954) regarded the type specimen of Combe brianus m. rufoantennatus as a male. However, based on the ratio of the antennal length to body length, and the shape of the abdomen, it appears to be a female.

A questionable paratype of Mimomyagrus pfanneri (Fig. 3 a – e ) is present in the collection of the NHMUK. According to the label, a handwritten collection date indicates that the specimen was collected in April, 1974 (Fig. 3 e ). The species was described in 1970 and the collection date was clearly recorded as ‘ IV – V 1969 ’ in the original publication by Breuning, although on the label of the holotype a similarly handwritten date is given as ‘ July 1968 ’. In any case, it is impossible for the collection date of the claimed paratype to appear after the publication date. Therefore, this specimen cannot be considered as a paratype.

Figures

Figure 1. Habitus of Combe brianus (White, 1858) a – d male f – i female e, j labels.

Figure 2. Habitus of Combe brianus (White, 1858) a – c holotype of Monohammus brianus White, 1858, female e – h holotype of Combe fulgurata Thomson, 1864, female j – m holotype of Mimomyagrus pfanneri Breuning, 1970, female d, i, n labels.

Figure 3. Habitus of Combe brianus (White, 1858) a – d paratype of Mimomyagrus pfanneri Breuning, 1970, female f – i holotype of Combe brianus m. rufoantennatus Breuning, 1954, female e, j labels.